COATS, HEADS, AND TAILS

In the dog family, fur has many different lengths and textures. Fur is necessary to keep dogs warm, being denser in cold climates, but shorter in hot ones. It is composed of two layers: an undercoat of fine wool, usually of one colour, and a top coat of longer, coarser hairs, called guard hairs, which have natural oils to make the coat waterproof, and carry the stripy, or brindled,, pattern of the fur. Coat colours are variations of white, black, and tan. The heads of all wild dogs, whether large like the wolf, or small like the bat-eared fox, have long heads with erect ears, and teeth set in a line along straight jaws. Tails too are all similar, being long, straight, often bushy, with a white or black tip. A dog’s tail is one of its most important assets and is used for balancing when sunning fast, for expressing its feelings, and, when held up, as a signal to other members of its group. No wild dog has a tail permanently curled over its back. When dogs were domesticated, all these characteristics were altered by specially selecting certain features for each dog breed.